Manhattan Grill

The season might have ended three or four weeks ago, but I just received my winnings from this year's fantasy football season over the weekend. To celebrate, I decided to take my girlfriend out for dinner. Being the attentive boyfriend I am, I took her to Manhattan Grill as she mentioned she'd like to try it out the last time we drove by.

Manhattan Grill is split between a sports bar and regular restaurant. The bar is completely separate from the restaurant, which I thought was nice touch. If there is a big game on I'm sure the bar can create a bit of noise, but if you aren't into sports or just feel like relaxing the restaurant is a perfectly quiet place to enjoy a nice dinner.

On the drive to the restaurant I had all intentions of ordering a steak, but after looking over the specials I quickly changed my mind.  Chipotle aioli dipping sauce combined with my love for any and all things spicy made for a very easy decision when we ordered the Cajun onion rings as an appetizer.

Unfortunately, the onion rings let us down. While the breading tasted good and had a spicy punch they were simply over breaded. After eating 4 or 5 of these things I was already feeling full and believe me when I say that's not normal for me. The chipotle aioli, what I was most excited about regarding the appetizer, didn't add very much to the party either. In my eyes, it was like eating mayo that was slightly tinted red. The chipotle flavor was nowhere to be found. 

I wasn't too bummed about the lackluster rings though. Coming shortly was my dinner and I was seriously excited to dig in. Key Lime BBQ grilled chicken had my name all over it. I've been trying to eat sensibly lately and the opportunity to eat grilled chicken full of flavor sounded perfect. Once again, I found myself seriously let down. The chicken was cooked perfect and was as juicy as you'd like, but the Key Lime BBQ sauce was absolutely boring. When you read Key Lime on a menu, you're instantly thinking bright tart flavor and there was no citrus presence at all. And that tang you expect in a BBQ sauce was nowhere to be found either. The baked potato I ordered on the side was fine, but a potato is a potato. Overall, my meal was a serious sleeper and a big disappointment.

The one redeeming feature of our meal was the Brazilian Steak Salad my girlfriend ordered. They lived up to the "grill" in Manhattan Grill and really cooked a tender piece of meat . Paired with fresh bleu cheese crumbles and fresh slices of avocado the salad was the highlight of the night.

Overall, the food experience at Manhattan Grill was kind of "meh". I wouldn't totally write them off in the future, but I'm not itching to go back either. If I were to find myself back at Manhattan Grill, the steak seems to be the way to go judging from how well the meat was cooked on the Brazilian Steak Salad.

Price: Upper end of Average

Recommendation: If you're in the area give it a shot.

What to order: One of their steaks.